Writing for the Daily Beast, Michael Kinsley relays a disturbing story about John McCain from Jeff Dearth, former publisher of the New Republic, when Dearth and McCain attended a magazine industry conference at a casino hotel in Puerto Rico in 2005:

Quote:

"McCain immediately turned to the woman and said between clenched teeth: 'DON'T TOUCH ME.' The woman started to explain...McCain interrupted her: 'DON'T TOUCH ME,' he repeated viciously. The woman again tried to explain. 'DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?' McCain continued, his voice rising and his hands now raised in the 'bring it on' position. He was red-faced. By this time all the action at the table had stopped. I was completely shocked. McCain had totally lost it, and in the space of about ten seconds. 'Sir, you must be courteous to the other players at the table,' the pit boss said to McCain. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? ASK ANYBODY AROUND HERE WHO I AM."

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has said he opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would amend the Constitution to ban marriage equality, because he believes it is an issue to be left up to states. In an interview with CBN’s David Brody, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) broke with McCain and strongly supported the amendment:

PALIN: [i]n my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that that’s where we would go because I don’t support gay marriage. I’m not going to be out there judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgment telling what they can and can’t do, should and should not do.

Then why doesn't she support gay marriage?

Palin’s support for the amendment reveals her inconsistency in being a “federalist.” Commenting on Roe v. Wade, Palin said, “I’m, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas.”

Palin’s support for the amendment reveals her inconsistency in being a “federalist.” Commenting on Roe v. Wade, Palin said, “I’m, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas.”

Palin doesn't know beans about much of anything...

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

No, I refuse to call her any more names. They have dragged me down to their level many times in the past, and I took a good look in the mirror and saw what I'd become.

Yes, in private, I will still rage and scream and call them every name in the book. Yes, in public I will still rage and scream and use every word at my disposal. But they will not reduce me to what they are, they will not drive me to distraction.

Rage, rage against the lying of the right, but do not go genital into that good fight. Calling them names in this fight reduces your power.

(Well. I have the very best of intentions right now, but do not be surprised if tomorrow you see me right back in the fray, shaking my fist and calling McCain a fucking douchebag. I am nothing if not predictably inconsistent...)

Absolutely well said! The negativity of the McCain-Palin campaign has resulted in property being destroyed (tires slashed, car windows being smashed) and people exercising their Constitutional right to vote being exposed to heckling and harrassment. What's next?

SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT GEORGE WALLACE WAS CUTE! (Scroll down at the link.)

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado. In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does, Palin erroneously argued that the Vice President is “in charge of the United States Senate“:

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, “What does the Vice President do?”

PALIN: That’s something that Piper would ask me! … [T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom.

Watch it at the link!__________________________Indeed, while Palin suggests that questions about what the Vice President does is something only her daughter Piper would ask, Palin herself asked this very question on national television in July. Apparently, she still hasn’t learned the correct answer.

Article I of the Constitution establishes an exceptionally limited role for the Vice President — giving the office holder a vote only when the Senate is “equally divided”:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

Moreover, the U.S. Senate website explains that the modern role of Vice Presidents has been to preside over the Senate “only on ceremonial occasions.” ThinkProgress contacted Senior Assistant Paliamentarian Peter Robinson, who also disputed Palin’s characterization of the Vice President’s role:

In modern practice the Vice President doesn’t really control the Senate. … If anyone has a responsibility to try to govern the Senate, it’s the responsibility of the two leaders.

This comment is all the more puzzling because this is at least the 2nd time she has said this. Gov Palin needs to re-read or perhaps read for the first time the Constitution. While the Vice President presides over the Senate, he or she is not in charge of it. Article 1 says The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate is part of a co-equal branch of the federal government.

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Earlier this month, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) criticized Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, telling the Omaha World-Herald that “it’s a stretch to, in any way, to say that she’s got the experience to be president of the United States.” In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Hagel went even further, saying that he doesn’t believe Palin is “qualified to be President of the United States“:

Hagel may be the only senior Republican elected official who has publicly criticized McCain’s choice of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. “I don’t believe she’s qualified to be President of the United States,” Hagel told me. “The first judgment a potential President makes is who their running mate is—and I don’t think John made a very good selection.” He scoffed at McCain’s attempts to portray her as an experienced politician. “To try to make the excuse that she looks out her window and sees Russia—and that she’s commander of the Alaska National Guard.” He added, “There is no question that this candidate is arguably the thinnest-résumé candidate for Vice-President in the history of America.”

Last week when former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on NBC’s Meet The Press, he also question’s Palin’s qualifications for office. “I don’t believe she’s ready to be president of the United States,” said Powell.

UpdateYglesias notes that "McCain’s decision that he wanted to take neocon policy and start applying it to great powers like Russia" may have been the "last straw" for Hagel, in terms of supporting him.

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Democracy in the United States is clinging by its fingernails. The Bush administration has spent the last eight years laying the “legal” foundations for fascism. Significant measures along this dark road include the Patriot Act, the FISA bill, the repeal of habeas corpus, and a host of executive orders giving the president frightening dictatorial powers. At the same time, the Bush administration has been building the physical machinery of fascism, including domestic detention centers, a network of overseas prisons and torture centers, and most recently, the establishment of Northcom, a division of the US military with orders to serve within the United States (formerly prohibited under the Posse Comitatus Act).

While the Bush administration has been building this fascist apparatus, the economy of the nation has been sliding into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. As we head toward Election Day 2008, the stock market is down about 40% from its peak value in inflation-adjusted terms, real unemployment is well over 10%, almost 1.5 million homes have been foreclosed this year alone, home prices have decreased by almost 20%, major companies announce massive layoffs on a daily basis, and it looks as if the entire American auto industry may well go bankrupt. The only question at this point is whether the United States will suffer a deep recession or an actual depression.

History teaches us that when a country suffers a deep economic crisis, it is vulnerable to a fascist transformation. The most obvious example is the economic collapse of the Weimar Republic, which led to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s. The rise of fascism in Italy in the 1930s was also rooted in economic problems, as was the rise of fascism in Chile in the 1970s. It is hardly surprising that economic distress leaves a country vulnerable to takeover by fascist forces, for fascism feeds on discontent and succeeds by promising radical solutions.

A country that enters a severe economic crisis with a government of known fascist tendencies is almost certain to become fascist. This is the real danger of a McCain presidency: John McCain is a member of the party that has spent the last eight years preparing for and partially executing a full fascist takeover of the United States. We simply cannot risk having McCain at the helm as we face the coming crisis. John McCain would be all too likely to try to solve the crisis by resorting to extreme, dictatorial and radically undemocratic measures. Moreover, he would be surrounded by the same sorts of advisors who used George W Bush to enact a radical right-wing agenda. These same advisors would be all too happy to use the economic crisis as an excuse for a full takeover of political power.

We should also keep in mind that the Bush administration used threat of terrorism to build the present surveillance/security state, but there is compelling evidence that the real reason for its construction was a growing awareness on the part of the government and the ownership class of this nation that we are facing a severe economic downturn and that this might lead to significant domestic unrest.

We must also remember that John McCain sided with George W Bush on over 90% of his decisions. John McCain supported the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which eliminated habeas corpus rights. John McCain has supported waterboarding and the decision to give the chief executive the power to “interpret” the Geneva Conventions. John McCain has supported spying on American citizens. Thus, in word and deed, John McCain has been an active participant in the erosion of democracy, civil liberties and the rule of law in the United States.It is also important to remember that John McCain already has a huge army of supporters who would welcome a fascist state. Indeed, the atmosphere and rhetoric at any McCain/Palin rally is clearly reminiscent of a 1930s Nazi rally, complete with mob mentality, racism, and calls for violence. The supporters of McCain and Palin are a mob of brownshirts waiting for their marching orders.

Most importantly, John McCain is the war candidate, and has announced his willingness to stay in Iraq for 100 years and his openness to military actions against Iran. The temptation to go to war to distract citizens from their sufferings or to stimulate the economy will be all but irresistible in the next four years. We cannot allow a known pro-war candidate like John McCain to enter office at a time like this.

I’ve written before on this site that there is a point of no return in the evolution of a fascist state. Once that line is crossed, there is no turning back until the country lies in ashes and millions lie dead both inside and outside the country. John McCain has already shown himself to be erratic in times of crisis and undiscerning in his choices of allies. He cannot be at the helm as we head into one of the most difficult periods in this country’s history.

Despite my misgivings about some of his votes in the Senate and his statements since announcing his candidacy, I am confident that Senator Barack Obama will be much more measured and thoughtful in his responses to the challenges of the next four years. I am confident that Barack Obama can steer us through the next four years without resorting to the fascist measures that have become the hallmarks of today’s Republican Party.

America stands at the edge of an abyss. It is a time of great danger for the country, but also great opportunity. The way we respond to the challenges of the next four years will determine if we sink into ruin or reinvent ourselves as a new and better nation. When you cast your vote on November 4th, you are literally casting a vote for fascism or against fascism. John McCain is ready to open the door to fascism. Don’t give him the chance.

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

I've read many articles about John McCain in the last few weeks, many of them in this thread. Most of them are pretty disturbing and watching McCain on the campaign trail only makes me feel increasingly concerned about his abilities to be POTUS. This latest article is written by a man who knows what it's like to get run over by the Straight Talk Express. If you don't read another thing about McCain before you vote, please read this. It's long, but well worth the time it takes to read it.

Now I'm not one to kick a man when he's down, nor even to hit him when he's wobbly. Butwatching John McCain's poll numbers stay strangely resilient despite the virtual disintegration of his campaign, I feel compelled to share a cautionary tale of my own firsthand experience with the Straight-Talk Express. That hell-bent freight train rolled over me a couple years ago and I haven't felt the same since. Back then, I was something of a McCain admirer. Today, I have a different story to tell - one that helps explain the tortuous path the McCain camp has taken in recent weeks through the scorched earth of a deteriorating candidacy. This path, one could say, is prelude; what I've learned watching McCain seek the White House should give anyone pause about the prospect of him occupying it.

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman